A distraught great-grandmother is making a desperate appeal for help tracking down a beloved rocking chair which was accidentally given away during a house clearance.

Sue Ibbetson, from Westgate-on-Sea , says the chair belongs to her daughter's partner Gary Cope, who promised his grandmother he would never part with it.

But when his mother recently died from cancer, Mrs Ibbetson's husband Pete gave it away to Pilgrim's Hospices Furniture Donations in Margate while clearing her house, not realising the significance of the chair.

"It had a note stuck to the underside of the seat saying 'For Gary, with love from nan'," Mrs Ibbetson said.

"Gary's nan wanted him to have the rocking chair because she used to call him her 'beloved rocker' and asked him not to part with it.

"Years ago she had run out of money and the bailiffs turned up at her door and she pleaded with them not to take the chair - it was the one thing she was left with so it really is very special."

The 74-year-old says Mr Cope was happy for his mother's things to go to Pilgrim's Hospices as his mum had spent her entire working life, into her late 70s, helping vulnerable people and raising money for charity.

"But my husband unfortunately knew nothing about the emotional attachment to the chair and took it with lots of other things to the warehouse on Monday," she said.

"Once we realised, we tried to get it back but we were told it had gone to a trader then onto an emporium shop in Margate where it was sold to someone last Friday."

Mrs Ibbetson says they have no idea where it could be and are hoping someone might see their appeal.

She said: "It is a dark brown Ercol rocking chair, with a deep pink seat pad tied to the seat and back rest, though this may have been removed.

"There is the note for Gary from his nan stuck to the underside of the seat.

"We're so upset, I couldn't speak for crying for three days.

"We're willing to pay anything for it, we just want it back so we can return it to Gary.

"He is so upset and we feel absolutely dreadful as it is down to us that this has happened."

If you know of the chair's whereabouts contact thanetextra@thekmgroup.co.uk.

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